President Mauricio Mobarak of global consulting firm UC&CS has signed a statement of commitment announced by UNISDR's Private Sector Advisory Group during the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in May.

As the 17th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union wrapped up in Malabo, Guinea, talks of a common voice on sustainable development have continued to dominate agendas in Africa ahead of the United Nations climate talks to be held in Durban in December. The need to address the issue of disasters and climate change continues to at the fore of various platforms of implementing the extended Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Over 10 million people from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda will be severely affected by severe drought, with no likelihood of improvement until 2012, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of humanitarian Affairs warned in an alert yesterday.

UNISDR, UNHABITAT and UNDP Kuwait organized a workshop on "Advancing disaster risk reduction and urban strategy in the Gulf States" in collaboration with the Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI) and the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISoCaRP).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia met with Margareta Wahlström, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, on Wednesday to discuss ways to help build the resilience of communities.

Following the 2nd World Congress on Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change, mayors from over sixty countries unanimously adopt the 2011 Bonn Declaration of Mayors to commit to globally coordinated local climate action. In the declaration, building resilience to disasters was highlighted as a critical issue.

Recognizing the political importance and impact of recent disasters, UNISDR and the European Parliament organized a debate "Prevent or react: The EU approach to Disaster Risk Reduction" to discuss the European Union's approach to disaster prevention.

Two executives from IBM and AECOM joined UNISDR’s growing Private Sector Advisory Group to support the organization’s work in engaging and supporting companies and businesses in reducing their risk to disasters.

Half of humanity is now living in cities - commitment to resilience is urgently needed, said Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in her final summary.

国連国際防災戦略事務局(UNISDR)が作成した国連世界防災白書2011の日本での発表が、5月25日、東京の国連大学(UNU)本部にて行われました。UNISDRとUNUの共催、外務省の後援により開催されました。2011年版のタイトルは「災害リスクを明らかにし、開発を再定義する」です。
The Japan launch of the 2011 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, prepared by the United Nations Secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), was held at UNU Headquarters in Tokyo on 25 May 2011, in a forum co-organized by UNISDR and UNU and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

Cairo, 22 May - The United Nations report titled "Revealing risk, redefining Development", launched this May by Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at the Third Session of the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, reveals a new interest and concern for disaster risk reduction in the Middle East and North Africa.

After announcing last week that Geneva would take part in the United Nations "Making Cities Resilient" campaign, Pierre Maudet, the incoming Mayor of Geneva as of 1 June, said the city would share experiences with other local governments seeking to manage risk.

For the first time, Munich Re Foundation, the Global Risk Forum GRF Davos and United Nations secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) join forces and offer €100,000 to a risk reduction project that will contribute to increasing people’s resilience to disasters, especially in developing communities which are most at risk.

In a year marred by disaster losses over US$300 billion, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called, at the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, for a “coalition of action” and a high-level meeting during the next General Assembly to address the link between natural hazards and nuclear safety.

Members of the Scientific and Technical Committee of UNISDR prepared a statement during the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction that sets out a clear agenda to better align existing science and technical knowledge with the efforts to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action.

The cities of San Francisco (Philippines), Santa Fe (Argentina), and District of North Vancouver (Canada), were unveiled as winners of the United Nations-Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction last night at a special ceremony on the second last day of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva.

Representatives of the finance, insurance and construction sector at the Global Platform yesterday sounded a call for action on the five essentials for business in disaster risk reduction, in line with the main finding of the United Nations Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction that losses from disasters are rising faster than gains made through economic growth.

The world is at defining moment in its history, where risks from climate change and growing disaster-related losses require a joint global response, said President Gjorge Ivanov of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, who addressed delegates yesterday during the opening ceremony of the Global Platform.

The United Nations secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) yesterday recognized President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia as “UNISDR Global Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction,” at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Global Platform for Disaster Reduction.

Sri Mulyani Indrawati, World Bank Managing Director, yesterday called for a stronger framework to coordinate disaster activities with greater transparency, at a high-level policy panel on “responding to natural disasters: a long-ignored development challenge.”

Disaster-related economic losses are increasing across all regions, critically threatening the economies of low-income countries and even outstripping wealth creation across many of the world’s richer nations, says a United Nations report titled Revealing Risk, Redefining Development to be launched today by the United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Third Session of the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction.

The international community must “risk proof” development because disasters are taking a heavy toll on rich and poor countries as well as outpacing their ability to respond, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told delegates today, at the foremost gathering of stakeholders on reducing disaster risk which opened this afternoon in Geneva and will run until Friday, 13 May.

The final touches are being added to the Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which will take place in Geneva, Switzerland from 8-13 May. The Global Platform will be opened officially by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on May 10.

Four cities and two organizations have been shortlisted for the Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction, worth $50,000, with winners to be announced 10 days from now at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, on 12 May.

Cairo. – The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, the world’s foremost gathering of disaster risk reduction stakeholders, will convene from 8 to 13 May in Geneva. The Arab region will be represented by over 100 participants from 21 countries. A governmental delegation from Egypt will attend this event as well as the Information and Decision Support Center (ISDC), the Arab Academy for Science Technology and Maritime Transport and the Regional Center for Disaster Risk Reduction.